And from the above method's inspiration, I found that the Thunderbird creates email folders in a pair files. That is the file of a "folder name" and the "folder name".msf file. For example, if you have a folder name called "test" under Trash folder (i.e. Trash.shd), you can find two files under the Trash.shd folder, "test" and "test.msf". So, the two files would store every emails in the test folders of Trash folder in Thunderbird.
Let's say: if the "test folder" is deteled in Thunderbird. The two files "test" and "test.msf" will be disappeared right away.
So, if you follow through what I am saying. You should understand that deleting a Thunderbird email folder means deleting the two files associated with the Thunderbird email folder name.
Therefore, to recover the deleted Thunderbird email folder means to recover the two files that were deleted by the Thunderbird when the folder were deleted inside the Thunderbird. So, you can use whatever file recovering tools (e.g. Recuva, undelete plus) to undelete the two files. Then, da da.... your email folder is coming back in seconds.
In case you don't know the folder location storing the Thudnerbird email:
For XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\[random filename].default\Mail\Local Folders\
For Vista or Windows 7:
C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\[random filename].default\Mail\Local Folders\
Notes: Remember to close Thunderbird when you working on the files recovery.
Can you explain what to do with the 2 undeleted files more?
ReplyDeleteI have them already not deleted in that folder though I can only look at the INBOX file or the INBOX-mdf or whatever the xtension is now that windows has changed it from opening it with notepad and then trying thunderbird to open it.
Put it this way. I have a folder name BOSS under Inbox which stored all the emails from my boss. One day, I accidentally delete it. and empty the trash bin. What can I do to recover the deleted BOSS folder?
DeleteFirst, use file undelete utility to recover the file BOSS and BOSS.msf. The reason to recover the two files because the two files represent the BOSS folder you just recovered
Second, put back the BOSS and BOSS.msf file back to Inbox.sbd under C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\[random filename].default\Mail\Local Folders\ (if you are using XP)
Third, restart your thunderbird. The BOSS folder will show up under Inbox.
Hope above will help.
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ReplyDeleteYou sir are brilliant. I recovered the files using Recuva and not only that, just before I had deleted the folder in question and emptied the trash (I'm a fool), I had accidentally nested it in the Newsletters folder and couldn't work out how to get it back out - it only seemed to be movable to be nested in another folder. After I recovered the files, i was able to put them back directly in the inbox folder so it is now back where I wanted it.
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks
Cool that it's helpful to you. :)
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ReplyDeleteHi - I accidentally deleted ALL the emails in my Thunderbird inbox, then emptied the recycle bin on my desktop. Do you know whether I can get them back please? they are not folders but my entire inbox. Cheers
ReplyDeletehi i have moved my mails to other folder and deleted the the old folder. suggest how to get the data back...
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean other folder? Do you mean you move the mails to a folder, then you further deleted that "a folder" from Thunderbird?
DeleteI found another helpful article to recover the deleted folder from Thunderbird: www.convertmbox2pst.com/blog/restore-deleted-emails-from-thunderbird/
ReplyDelete